


In Little Ways, Everything Stays

by SeverNSkull



Category: Naruto
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Good Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi is a Troll, Humor, Idiots in Love, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Oneshot, Pining, Self-Indulgent, jounin obito uchiha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 06:07:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26847151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeverNSkull/pseuds/SeverNSkull
Summary: While training his students, Kakashi is met with the familiar presence of his fellow jounin, Obito on the field. Unfortunately for him, Kakashi hasn't yet fulfilled his quota of teasing his hero/best friend/possible crush and it may be more than Obito can handle.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito
Comments: 10
Kudos: 192





	In Little Ways, Everything Stays

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dustydaze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dustydaze/gifts).



> Howdy folks! It's been a while since I've wrote anything, or rather since I've written KKOB so here's an unbeta'd, self-indulgent piece I wrote for my friend, Demuri. I hope it makes your day feel that much more tolerable even with a small sprinkle of angst. (Though I think the lovely banter between these goofs more than makes up for the angst. Maybe.)
> 
> Anywhoozers, please enjoy to all who read this little drabbly-do!

The warm, summer sun cast glowing rays upon the training field that day, set upon three young ninjas as they spared with each other with a variety of skill and in some points lack thereof. Regardless, it was still a sight to see as blurs of orange, blue, and pink raced around the field though their mentor’s gaze was only partially focused on the magnificent trio from the treeline, his nose planted firmly in a saucy novel as he lazily twirled a kunai between his fingers. For all intents and purposes, he seemed to be ignoring his students, far too indulged in absorbing the next heart-racing plot point, but like a wolf protecting their den, his guard was up and his senses raised for any sign of a threat to his precious, adorable students.

After a while, the diligent mentor’s attention is pricked, drawing him from his book as a cool breeze whispered through the trees, revealing a comfortable but concealed presence hiding among the treetops. A fond, knowing smile peeled at his lips beneath his mask. 

“This really takes me back,” the presence laughed, his deep, growl of a voice crackling with humor as he made himself known, leaping heavily from the branch they perched upon to join the masked, silver-haired mentor.

He raised his eyes to the battle waging before them. Inevitably, between the time he had last lent his gaze from his book and when his newfound companion arrived, two of his students, Naruto and Sasuke, were barking heated insults at each other as the third, Sakura attempted to mediate but with little to show for it. 

“Mm. Does it?” He murmured, watching the happenings, not willing to intervene. They’d sort it out together eventually. Quarreling was just a part of team-building; he should know.

“Yeah, just look at them. Two little genin each at each other’s throats while a third tries to rip them apart before they rip  _ each other _ apart.” The man tsked and shook his head, turning to face his partner. “Kind of reminds me of you, me, and Rin.”

Wryly the teacher chuckled. “I don’t see what you mean, Obito.”

He didn’t have to look at his companion to see the grimace that was directed at him. No, he could  _ feel _ the aura of annoyance radiate off of him in waves, drawing a catlike grin upon his face. Teasing Obito had become one of the many highlights of his day over the years and he had yet to make his quota for today.

“How could you not?” Obito demanded huffily. “Did you  _ conveniently _ forget all of our younger days just like you just as conveniently forget to show up to just about everything but lunch on-time?”

“Mm, I wouldn’t forget something like that,” Kakashi conceding, turning to his former teammate to gauge his agitated expression, reveling in the pout of his lips, the wrinkle between his dark brow and eyepatch, and the accusatory glare he sent him. That quickly marked just that much more progress on the meter.

“Is that right? Because it sounds to me that you have,  _ Bakakashi!”  _ A certain measure of fondness never failed to rear its head at that nickname, regardless of the blatant insult it had been intended for. 

“If I recall, when you were a genin, I was already a chuunin, or did you conveniently forget, O-bi-to?” He raised a thin, silver brow as he awaited his companion’s retort, but the Uchiha could only splutter, opening his mouth and shutting it again, several times before crossing his arms haughtily over his chest and turning his nose up and gaze away from Kakashi to sulk.

“Just shut up,” Obito grumbled signaling a job well-done and his quota fulfilled.

Kakashi hummed victoriously as he admired the side of Obito’s head. Hearing that he had surpassed Obito so early on never failed to rile him up and though it bought a twinge of both guilt and sorrow to think about Rin and how she might have consoled the two opposing forces had she been here today, it brought the veteran shinobi even more ire to hear that she too had quickly surpassed him. That wasn’t to mention their numerous classmates, but that was never what these competitions of theirs were about.

Their competitions, in all actuality, despite how childish and silly they seemed to be were simply Kakashi’s way of showing his admiration toward his former teammate. For everything that Kakashi was not, Obito was and for everything that he was, Obito, by that standard was not. 

Back in those days that Obito reminisced upon so fondly, Kakashi had never known the kind of strength that Obito had boasted. The younger version of himself had only scoffed at the very implication of such things as how could a ninja be strong without serving his nation over all else and a keen mastery of the Ninja Arts? 

The answer, as you may have guessed, was that though Obito was strong in his own right with his taijutsu and hereditary skill in Katon jutsu, his true strength came from the depth of his heart and his determination to protect his friends. 

Back then, he never understood it. Nor did he try. But eventually, he did and as it turned out, he had understood it all along, turning his back on his mission to support his comrade and rescue their third member. Unfortunately, however, this still had its consequences, leaving Kakashi to mourn Obito’s loss until years later when he showed up once again, a ghoul in the night, howling at the moon in a vain attempt to keep his two closest friends safe.

The remains of that battle remained etched in his mind, thanks in part to the Sharingan and in another to the sheer horror he had felt as he saw all of those blood-drenched pillars raised on high. Memories of it all made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle, but nevertheless, he was lucky that night for though he had tragically lost a teammate upon his own hand, he had regained one that he thought lost for time. 

An imaginary coil around his heart squeezed painfully thinking about such things, for even as Obito had been in captivity, held by an underground foe, he never lost that inner strength of his and his soul was never tainted by the madness that he should have found there. And even if Obito hadn’t returned as a powerhouse of chakra and skill, Kakashi still would have admired him, regardless of the bloody circumstances of which it had occurred. Because to him, Obito was already as great as could be.

“Stop looking at me,” his companion hissed, pulling Kakashi from his daydreaming, both morbid and fond, to focus on Obito once more.

“Mm?”

“Your staring… it’s too loud,” he reiterated with a stern grumble, shifting his stance under his unfocused gaze.

“Is it?”

“Would I have told you to stop if it wasn’t?” 

Obviously, Kakashi should have taken the hint to find something else to look at and not irk his friend any further, but being as he was Kakashi and the one has was irritating was Obito, it simply could not be helped. So he tossed back yet another retort. 

“Perhaps.”

Obito’s jaw visibly clenched and he let out a spiteful, nasal grunt, keeping his eyes firmly focused on Team 7’s ongoing dispute having grown even further agitated by Kakashi’s obstinate behavior. “You’re insufferable. So insufferable that you’re almost too intolerable to bear.”

Light-hearted mirth managed to reach his eyes at yet another insult with a chuckle. “Insufferable?”

“Yes! Insufferable!” Obito barked, then he took a deep breath and hunkered down, closing his eyes before continuing in a haughty, offended tone. “And to think, I came out here  _ all this way _ to pay you a compliment.”

Curiosity sparked, Kakashi arched a speculative brow at his companion once more. “Oh?”

“...Or at least I  _ was. _ But I hardly think you deserve it anymore.”

With a ‘mildly’ exaggerated sigh, Kakashi turned to glance back at his bickering students and proceeded to plant his nose back into his novel. “Then I guess I’ll have to suffer without it,” he replied, not nearly as grief-stricken as he knew Obito would have liked. Immediately, he felt the Uchiha’s onyx stare back on him, forcing Kakashi to withhold a grin from view.

“Fine then! I’ll tell you what I was going to say!” 

“Oh? Then I’m eternally grateful that you thought to save me from my suffering,” Kakashi murmured apathetically, diving back into his book, eager to reread for perhaps the thousandth time the hero’s concession to the heroine’s heartfelt expression of love. He knew it by heart, hardly needing to scan the page to know what it said, but it gave him the perfect cover to covertly wrench Obito’s confession out of him and he strained his hearing to listen, eager to mark every word down to reference -- or savor -- later. 

“Don’t be such an ass, Bakakashi,” Obito scoffed nasally, scowling at Kakashi for several moments before allowing his face to soften, smoothing out some of his facial scars, letting them relaxing and making him seem younger, or at least more his age. His growling undertone was gone, vanished from his words and his voice morphed into a gentle, much more amicable way to match his features. “I just… wanted to tell you that I think you’re a pretty good teacher and I think Sensei would be proud.”

Of all the things Obito could have said, this one surprised him, especially with Naruto’s and Sasuke’s back-and-forth insults coloring the background while Sakura attempted to scream over them in an attempt to be heard. Still inspired, he raised his eyes from his novel to search Obito for any sign of deception, certain he’d break if it was a -- well-deserved -- ploy.

“Do you really mean that?” He asked, testing the waters. 

Obito took a sharp intake of breath and shrugged. “Well… you aren’t nearly as good of a sensei when it comes to training--” 

“I thought you meant to compliment me?” Kakashi dryly pouted.

“Shut up. I’m not done,” Obito said with a raise of his voice, continuing on in his prior tone. “But  _ anyways… _ You aren’t very good in some ways but in others, I think you beat him for sure. You’re always there for them when they actually do need you though even if you’re late for practically everything else, which is pretty endearing if you ask me.”

Did his ears deceive him? Was that a genuine compliment from the person he admired most of all? 

“‘Endearing’, huh?” 

“Yeah, ‘endearing’,” Obito repeated, the words as clear as a bell the second time around. “Hell, they might even have a chance at entering the Chunnin Exams this year too.”

That’d be something, wouldn’t it? A first-year genin class getting into and  _ passing _ the Chuunin Exams would be an awfully surprising feat in and of itself.

“Mm, maybe, but do you really find me ‘endearing’?” He asked, soft as could be, a grin stealing across his face yet again.

“Well yeah, I--” Then Obito paused and scowled at him once more before turning away, obviously catching on to Kakashi’s ingenious plan, but it was already too late. 

“I take it all back. You are insufferable, intolerable, and a royal pain in my ass, Bakakashi!” Obito huffed, turning away yet again and raising a hand to cover his face, though Kakashi could already see color rising in his unmarred cheek.

“Mmh, and yet you still think of me as endearing,” Kakashi pointed out with a chuckle at his companion’s expense.

“Shut up! I didn’t- I didn’t mean it like that!” Obito snapped, his voice somewhat muffled by his hand.

“Oh? Then what did you mean?” Kakashi asked slyly, knowing rightly well what it meant, evidenced by Obito’s peach-blossom blush.

But before he could wrench an answer out of him, the Uchiha began to sink into the ground in a petty attempt to escape. It was a shame really, Kakashi had been enjoying his company, reveling in it really. Though he was left unwanting, having committed Obito’s compliment and cute yet rugged blush to memory. 

‘Endearing’, huh? What a kind thing for him to say and after a revelation like that, his silent adoration grew even more knowing that in some way, just maybe, the feelings he had for his former teammate were requited. Needless to say, more research was required and Kakashi made a mental note to increase his ‘toying with Obito’ quota for the next time they had a moment alone. For now, however, he had a fight to break up and students to teach just so he could hear that handsomely fond tone once more and do his former teams and mentor just as proud.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
